'Yeah, this is about what I was expecting', Mitchell thought to himself, withholding a grimace.

After Micaiah introduced herself, a moment of silence occurred between the group. Judging from said silence, it was obvious that shock had taken hold of Sasha and Arriet, but Mitchell couldn't help but wonder what else was going through their minds at the moment.

The uncertainty didn't help Micaiah's confidence, as she quickly faltered under their shocked gazes. Thankfully, the silence was broken by Zullie. "Hello…Miss Calzedonia. It's nice to…meet you as well."

Mitchell didn't miss the confused glance Zullie gave Arriet and Sasha, who had recovered from their shock thanks to the Dark Mage's greeting. Thank God, he didn't know how much more of that he could take, much less Micaiah.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Maiden of Miracles. I'm Sasha Fullmoon," Sasha greeted, still eyeing Micaiah with wonder. Her expression held a bit of worry however as she glanced between Micaiah and Mitchell. "But more importantly, whatever are you doing here in Salvarision? Has something happened in Calaneth?"

"Um, well…" Micaiah floundered, uncertain. She fidgeted, glancing at Mitchell before continuing. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"It's a bit of a story, honestly," Mitchell added, rubbing his neck. He looked at Arriet and Zullie knowingly. "It all started when I got separated from y'all."

"Wait a moment," Arriet interjected, raising a hand to stop him. She looked towards the church entrance and nearby children. "Before we continue this, I feel it would be prudent to take this someplace more private."

Mitchell nodded, relieved to see she was quick on the uptake. "Yeah. I think it would be better that way actually."

It seemed Arriet wasn't the only one to feel something was amiss, as Sasha nodded slowly. "I see." She gave a quick look towards the children before making her way over to a doorway with purpose. "Come with me."

The rest followed, with Zullie frowning slightly at the fact that she was obviously out of the loop. Looking over and seeing Micaiah somewhat anxious, Mitchell patted her on the side in reassurance. It appeared to work, as the girl relaxed a bit, taking a breath to calm herself.

Once through the door, Sasha led the group down a hallway. Mitchell noticed a couple of doors on the right side with a staircase further down on the left leading up to another floor. Sasha headed inside one of the doors on the right, leading them into a living area, with a small couch and a couple of chairs situated around a table. A desk sat against the far wall, with an inkwell and some books lined across it.

Arriet closed the door behind them as Sasha gestured to the seats. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm getting the impression that this is going to be quite sensitive."

Mitchell went over to grab one of the chairs and slid it over to sit at the table, sitting down with a sigh. Finally, it felt good to just take a seat and relax a bit. Micaiah wordlessly followed, doing the same as she sat next to him in her own chair. Zullie took his opposite side, sitting down as elegantly as the hunter had come to expect of her.

Arriet and Sasha took the couch, adjusting themselves to get comfortable. "Okay," Arriet began, glancing at Sasha for confirmation. "This should be good enough, right?"

Sasha nodded with a light hum. She gave her full attention to Micaiah and Mitchell. "Now, please start at the beginning. What happened?"

"Well…" Mitchell spoke, looking up in thought for a moment. "After we got separated, I got teleported to Micaiah's place. Above her place actually."

Micaiah nodded gently in affirmation. "Yeah. I was sitting on my patio reading when I suddenly heard a loud yell. I looked up just in time to see him—" she glanced at Mitchell, "—falling from the sky and through a tree."

"What?" Arriet asked, her concerned gaze flitting to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zullie looking him over with a similar expression. "That's what happened to you? You don't have any injuries from that, do you?"

Mitchell shook his head, waving his hand reassuringly. "Nah, nah, I'm fine. Micaiah was there to save the day."

"I managed to heal him thankfully," Micaiah clarified. She barely withheld a wince at the memory. "He didn't look too good when he landed. And what's worse, this happened not very long before evening service happened, so I…"

The priestess's expression grew apologetic. "I had to leave him there. I couldn't risk my tutor finding out about him."

"Don't worry about it," Mitchell dismissed easily. "You made the right call."

"Hold on…" Zullie interjected, looking at Sasha and Arriet, the former of whom looked physically ill, and the latter, apprehensive. "Am I…missing something? Why do you two…look so…tense?"

"It's because Lady Micaiah is not supposed to be here," Sasha said simply. She couldn't help a small sigh when she saw the growing worry on Micaiah's face.

"But our concerns can wait," Arriet stated. She nodded her head, her rose red eyes gentle and reassuring as she gestured for Mitchell and Micaiah to continue. "Please finish telling us what happened."

Mitchell decided to take over. He didn't want to put Micaiah under any more pressure, nor did he like the implication Sasha's words had. "Well, basically, I got stuck at Micaiah's place," he said, clarifying more for Zullie's benefit.

He tapped Micaiah's arm to reassure her. "Since we had nothin' better to do, we got to know each other. She even gave me a much-needed study session." He gave the girl a knowing half-smirk, hoping to lighten the mood. "An' the food was to die for."

Micaiah smiled bashfully, blushing a bit despite herself. "Oh, it wasn't that special."

"Oh really?" Mitchell drawled, raising a brow teasingly. "What was it again, 'This is a bit of a special occasion for me, so I'm gonna use the best meat I have'? Or somethin' like that?"

The priestess's blush intensified, and she punched Mitchell in the arm. "Oh stop it. If you keep teasing me, I'll stop cooking for you."

Mitchell's expression flattened. He rubbed the spot the girl punched, feigning pain. "Shuttin' up now."

Arriet and Zullie watched the byplay between the two with some amusement, their concern temporarily forgotten. Sasha, on the other hand, openly tittered at the sight. Mitchell's ploy was successful, much to his relief.

Once the moment passed, Sasha got things back on track. She rested her hands on her lap, leaning forward a bit as she focused on the hunter-priestess duo. "So you were brought to the Maiden's Loft of Calaneth?"

"Yep," Mitchell replied plainly. Micaiah nodded along.

"I see." Sasha frowned in bemusement as she finally decided to ask what had been on her mind since Micaiah's reveal. "But that begs the question, how did you get here then? The Maiden's Loft is one of the most well-protected locations in Radabon."

Micaiah's lips pursed as she wondered how best to answer. But before that, Zullie posed a question. "Judging from your statements…and your reactions before…am I right in assuming…that Miss Micaiah is…a person of great…importance?"

"She is," Arriet answered, giving her attention to the Dark Mage. The harpist's eyes were serious. "There's a reason we're worried about her presence here. The Church values Miss Micaiah very highly."

Zullie's brows furrowed for a moment before her eyes widened, understanding finally dawning on her. She sat straighter, her gaze sharpening. "So that's…how it is…"

Mitchell sighed, deciding to just rip the band-aid off. "Aight, it's pretty apparent to me that y'all know somethin's up, so I'll just say it. Micaiah an' I are pretty much fugitives. We escaped Calaneth and teleported straight here usin' a Spirit Crystal."

Zullie froze as Arriet and Sasha's eyes widened, both women looking at Micaiah. "What…?" Sasha whispered, growing pale.

Micaiah hurried to reassure them. "P-please don't get mad at Mitchell. It was my choice to leave, I promise."

Arriet pursed her lips at the priestess's assurance, glancing from her to Mitchell, then back to her. "It's not anger I feel, but concern. How did this come about?"

"Well, it went like this…"

And so Mitchell and Micaiah revealed everything.

"An' after we got sent here to Salvarision, we both did some investigatin' around the city," Mitchell drawled, finishing up their story. He nodded towards Sasha. "We happened to run into someone who knew ya, a guard named Elt. He let us know where to find y'all."

Sasha perked up at that. "Ah. I see now. That's just like him," she hummed fondly.

"I assume you both managed to bypass the guards protecting this section of the city, yes?" Arriet inquired, a thoughtful look on her face.

Micaiah replied with a nod, "Yep. A little bit of magic was all that was needed."

"That's good," Arriet sighed. She met eyes with Mitchell and Micaiah. "Thank you for being honest with us."

At Mitchell's and Micaiah's nods, Sasha cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to her as she rose to her feet. "While I would like to continue this conversation, I'm afraid I have to get back to the little ones. I can't leave them alone for too long."

Mitchell gave the caretaker a thumbs up, the simple act enough to lighten the mood. "No worries, Miss Fullmoon. Thanks for bein' so understanding."

"It's no trouble," Sasha said, shaking her head reassuringly. "I know the Order. I'm not surprised you had to resort to such measures."

Mitchell wanted to raise a brow at that but stopped himself short when he recalled Sasha's own experience with the Order. He tactfully decided to say nothing.

"Thank you, Lady Fullmoon," Micaiah said softly, her lidded eyes full of gratitude.

Sasha nodded, smiling softly. "Of course. I happen to have two unused guest rooms upstairs, so you're both welcome to stay."

At that moment, a child's voice could be heard in the hallway. "Miss Sasha! I found a book that says 'How to make your man happy in bed'! What does that mean?"

Sasha quickly turned red in the face as her sapphire blue eyes went wide. "Excuse me!" She squeaked as she hurriedly left the room.

Mitchell couldn't help but smirk in amusement at that. He turned to see Arriet with a similar expression, not even bothering to hide her amusement at her friend's expense.

"Well," Arriet began, "No matter how you got here, I'm glad for it nonetheless." Her expression sobered quickly however. "We'll have to be careful going forward though. There is no doubt in my mind that the Order will look for you, Miss Micaiah."

Micaiah huffed at the thought. "I no longer care what they want. I'm not going back to that life."

Arriet raised a brow at that, but before she could say anything, Mitchell grabbed her attention. "Hey, uh, do you think word about us has spread here yet?"

The former Hero hummed, looking down in thought. "I'm actually not so sure. Such a thing as the disappearance of the Maiden of Miracles would cause an uproar among the Order's upper echelons, of that I'm certain."

She looked up at them. "However, I've heard nothing about this until now. So I have reason to suspect word hasn't arrived here yet in Salvarision."

"Then we should take…appropriate measures," Zullie stated firmly. If Mitchell hadn't known she was sitting beside him, he would've forgotten she was there with how quiet she'd been. Her face was set in a resolute stare. "We cannot allow them…to be found. It will be difficult enough…with rumors of Mari's death…at Mitchell's hand…starting to spread."

Mitchell's eyes widened, and he turned to Zullie. "Wait what?" Worried, he snapped his attention back to Arriet. "Everyone's been talkin' about that?"

Arriet nodded, her own expression sharing the hunter's concern. "They have. But you must understand, Mitchell. There hasn't been a time in recorded history that a Lilim has died at the hands of a human. It's inevitable that people would talk."

"Wait, won't this mean when word about him spreads, it'll make it easier for the Order to find us?" Micaiah asked worriedly, straightening in her seat.

Mitchell grimaced at the thought. "Well damn."

"Hold on, let's not jump to conclusions too quickly," Arriet interjected, raising a hand to forestall their worry. "Now that I think about it, there's a factor that may actually turn out in our favor."

"Really? What's that?" Mitchell inquired, leaning forward.

"Word usually travels by merchant caravans or couriers," Arriet mused thoughtfully. "If the news is dire enough, word is usually sent using Spirit Crystals that are connected to each other."

She turned her attention to Mitchell, her gaze suddenly serious. "The Spirit Crystal you both used in Calaneth. You said it was becoming unstable like the one in Toulouse had, yes?"

Mitchell nodded firmly. "Yeah. I didn't know how to make it work, so I just…willed it to bring us here, I guess. I dunno why, but it started freakin' out when I did."

There was a pause as Arriet blinked at Mitchell in surprise. Zullie turned her attention to him, her brow raised in disbelief. Feeling self-conscious at their baffled looks, Mitchell glanced at Micaiah to see her equally confused.

"Well…if that's the case," Arriet continued, "then it seems like Calaneth won't have any way to send word to other kingdoms with the Spirit Crystal destroyed. News will likely now have to travel by horseback until they can reach a city with a Crystal."

She nodded slowly, becoming more and more sure of the situation by the moment. "This will buy us some time. Whether you meant to or not, you did the best thing you could've done, Mitch."

At that, Mitchell relaxed, his body releasing the last bit of tension he didn't even know he had. "Thank the Lord."

"That's fantastic to hear," Micaiah added, practically falling back into her seat in relief.

"I agree," Arriet concurred, smiling at the two. She placed her hands on her legs and rose to her feet. "Now. Let's get you two settled in. I'm sure you're both tired, so we can figure out a plan later."

"Aight then," Mitchell said, getting to his feet as Micaiah and Zullie joined him. "A nice nap sounds great right now."

With that, the group made their way into the hallway, Arriet leading them upstairs. Upon ascending to the upper floor, there was a hallway leading straight down to a far wall where a window allowed sunlight to filter through. Two doors lined each side of the hall, leading to separate rooms.

Arriet stopped at the first door on the left, turning to Micaiah. "This room is free if you want to use it, Miss Micaiah."

Micaiah nodded gratefully. "Thanks." She stepped forward to head inside, but as she opened the door, she turned back to Arriet and Zullie. "And please, call me Micaiah."

"Ah. Very well then, Micaiah," Arriet obliged, her lips pulling up into a small smile. Zullie nodded, humming in affirmation.

Micaiah gave them both a grateful smile before looking at Mitchell. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure thing," Mitchell drawled. He batted her on the arm playfully. "I'll see ya in a bit."

With a smile and a nod, Micaiah headed inside and closed the door behind her. Mitchell turned back to Arriet, who was already moving to the far door on the right. She gestured to the room when Mitchell and Zullie made their way over. "You can use this room, Mitch."

"Awesome," Mitchell exhaled in relief, grateful that he wouldn't have to carry all his gear around for much longer. He turned to Arriet curiously. "Oh yeah, is Melissa here anywhere? I'd like to let her know I'm alright."

Arriet nodded. "Yes, she's here. She's been staying nearby actually."

Mitchell smiled. "Good to hear. I'll go see her in a bit then. I got somethin' I gotta return to her." He looked between the two women. "Y'all got any plans for today, by the way?"

Zullie shook her head. "Not really…I'll accompany you later…if you want?"

"Sure, by all means," Mitchell nodded. His good mood was enhanced at the sweet smile the Dark Mage gave him. He watched as the Dark Mage made her way to the next room over, her curvaceous hips swaying alluringly.

Arriet hummed at Mitchell's inquiry, drawing his attention away from the tantalizing sight. She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear as she smirked. "Well, I plan on visiting the market square before dark. If you're willing to join me on some monotonous errand-running, I wouldn't be opposed…"

Mitchell met her smirk with one of his own. "Consider me there." With that, he opened the door and stepped inside. "I'll see y'all when I'm finished up here."

"Mhm. See you in a bit then." Her good spirit set, Arriet headed back downstairs, a small smile on her lips.

Mitchell closed the door, feeling enthused but exhausted. Finally, he could relax and look forward to something good for a change. These past few days had been quite the rollercoaster for him, and damn if he wasn't glad to have things return to at least a tiny sense of normalcy.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mitchell turned to inspect his new room. A small dresser sat against the wall on his left, with a window on the wall perpendicular to the dresser. An old bed sat lengthwise against the wall to his right facing the window. A simple bed stand sat beside the bed. It somehow managed to be even more spartan than the room Melissa had given him, but it would do.

Walking over to the meager bed, Mitchell set his crossbow up against the wall, placing the Springfield rifle beside it. He unceremoniously dropped his pack onto the floor before falling into the bed, closing his eyes as the events of the past day caught up with him.

He drifted off in moments.

Mitchell was roused from his slumber by a gentle knocking at his door. Taking a breath, he raised himself up into a sitting position, blinking away his weariness. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing Zullie. Leaning into the room, she gave Mitchell an apologetic look upon seeing him. "Sorry…I didn't wake you…did I?"

The hunter waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

He got to his feet, stretching as he did so. He glanced at the Dark Mage standing in his doorway. "How long was I out?"

Zullie shook her head gently. "Not long…maybe half an hour." She pursed her lips, looking rather sheepish.

"What's the matter? Somethin' wrong?" Mitchell inquired, sliding his backpack over to the foot of the bed stand with his foot.

"Nothing's wrong…I just have something to…ask," the Dark Mage replied softly, stepping inside the room. It was then that Mitchell noticed she was holding her teapot. "I don't wish to…impose…but could I…share rooms with you?"

Mitchell's brain flatlined for a moment. "Uh…"

Zullie hurriedly clarified, "I-I'll use my teapot…don't worry. I merely…need a place…to put it. I can't risk…any of the children…breaking it."

For a moment, Mitchell was suspicious of the request. But when he actually thought about it, what was the harm in it? It wasn't like he had no room, and he trusted Zullie to mind her boundaries—she said she'd live in her teapot anyway—so fuck it, why not. He could say he shared a room with a beautiful woman, at least.

"Sure, go ahead," Mitchell said finally. He met her gaze as he rubbed his neck, feeling a bit unsure. "I'll admit this is definitely a first for me, so let's just respect each other's space, okay?"

Zullie's eyes widened in surprise, her expression quickly brightening with gratitude and happiness. "Of course. Thank you…Mitchell."

Seeing the woman's earnest gratitude and joy attacked Mitchell's heartstrings with a vengeance. Seriously, it really wasn't fair how cute this woman could act when she wanted to. And what's worse for him is she didn't seem to realize she was even doing it.

As Mitchell lamented his weakness, he watched as the woman made her way over to the dresser and gently placed the teapot down. To take his mind off of things, he decided to inspect the teapot in finer detail. It was a pure porcelain white with a clean sheen, with a gold embroidered cloth sleeve over the handle. But what was so surprising to Mitchell was that the teapot was clearly of Japanese make. A Japanese-styled house was nestled beside a small river flowing through a forest, beautifully painted around the entirety of the teapot. He could tell the art style was Japanese as well.

Zullie noticed his curiosity. She gestured to the teapot, her lips pulling upwards into a teasing smirk. "Curious?"

Mitchell nodded, raising an intrigued brow at her. "Yeah. I haven't said it before, but it looks amazing. Did you make this?"

Zullie barked an amused laugh. "Oh goodness no…the enchantment on this…is well beyond…my power." She gave a slightly rueful smile. "Whoever crafted this is…no one…to be trifled with."

Mitchell's eyes widened at the certainty in Zullie's voice. "Uh, yeah, I'll bet if they can just casually slap a pocket dimension on a tea set like that. I take it that the magic on this teapot ain't exactly normal?"

"No. It's not…" Zullie answered lowly. "Dimensional manipulation…is something…only the most powerful…mamono are capable of." She paused, looking at the teapot. "Or gods…"

Mitchell stared at the teapot, silent. 'Holy shit. This is some real high fantasy Lord of the Rings type stuff. This thing must be insanely valuable...'

Growing ever more curious, Mitchell turned his gaze back to the Dark Mage. "If that's the case, then I bet ya had to go through some crazy journey or somethin' to get this, huh?"

Zullie smiled in amusement, shaking her head slowly. "You would think that…but it's…quite the opposite really." She placed her hands on her shapely hips, shifting said hips to the side. Mitchell found the sudden action cute. "I happened to…meet a merchant…traveling from the…Land of Dragons…during my days in…Vamore."

The Dark Mage's amused expression shifted to one of exasperation, giving a small huff. "The man had…no clue…what he had in…his possession. I had to…have it…if only so someone…who knew how to use it…could appreciate it."

Mitchell snorted. He couldn't help but share her exasperation at that level of obliviousness. "Wow."

"Indeed," Zullie concurred, a small smirk gracing her lips. She traced a finger gently across the teapot's surface. Mitchell couldn't help but find the action rather sensual. "His loss…certainly became…my gain."

Mitchell met her smirk with his own. "Well, good on ya. It sounds like ya made out like a bandit."

Zullie grew sheepish at that, raising an arm to rearrange her hat. "Yes. But I'll admit…I'm not usually…the best at bargaining…or haggling. I think he…simply happened to…not know…the value in what…he had."

She shrugged lightly. "I guess you could say…I lucked out."

"Yeah, I guess ya did," Mitchell agreed easily. He reached down and retrieved the rifle. After arming himself with his knife and revolver, Mitchell turned to regard Zullie. "Well, since I'm up now, I better go see if I can find Melissa so I can give her stuff back."

Zullie brightened at his words. "Ah. Want me to…come along?"

Mitchell would have to be blind to not see the hopeful look in the woman's eyes. Jesus, this woman could somehow be both adorably cute and sensual. And damn if it didn't make a dangerous combination. "Sure, if ya want."

Met with Zullie's warm smile, Mitchell chose that moment to make his way to the door, trying to hide the blush that crept up his face. "Now let's head out, shall we?"

Zullie joined him, humming with enjoyment at Mitchell's blush. "We shall."

As they left the room, only one thought crossed the hunter's mind.

'This woman has entirely too much power, I swear.'

A/N: Holy shit. Almost a year now, but I did it. The story's still alive. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Please let me know y'all's thoughts in the reviews.